Denys Allen
paancestors.com/now
We predict the future based on what we know of the people who came before us, but we really don't know these people at all. Our knowledge of history is limited and taught to us in a way that makes it boring and almost repulsive. Researching our ancestors through primary documents introduces us to different version of the past and a new possible future.
Location:
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.
Professional title:
Founder
What do you do?
I transform forgotten records into meaningful chronicles of American life.
Why?
What we call "history" is just the parts some person at a desk somewhere decided to condense down and emphasize. The experiences and memories of Americans are much deeper than that, and often in conflict with the grand narrative we've been taught.
What should we read?
"The Making of Pennsylvania" by Sydney George Fisher (1896)